


Horror

by TrufaxRex



Series: To the Sky [3]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Creatures & Monsters, Angst, Gen, Permanent Injury, Wingfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-11
Updated: 2013-02-11
Packaged: 2017-11-28 22:29:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/679571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrufaxRex/pseuds/TrufaxRex
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Gabriel is horrified by Sam (and who wouldn’t be?)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Horror

Its takes Gabriel only a day to recover for the most part. He is sitting up and feeding himself two days after Castiel brought him to the nest and he and Castiel talk often, in the old Aviant language, which Sam understands, but doesn’t try to intrude on. For the most part he seems to ignore Dean and Sam, though he often throws amused glances at Dean, causing the other Aviant to scowl and hurry down to his workshop.

Sam probably spends the most amount of time with Gabriel, despite the fact that they don’t really talk. Sam is under the impression that Gabriel doesn’t really want to talk to him, and he would be lying if he didn’t say that the older Aviant intimidated him. The first time Gabriel was strong enough to stretch out his wings, Sam’s eyes had nearly fallen out of their sockets. Because Gabriel didn’t have just once set of golden wings, he had two more sets of increasingly smaller ones.

It was that display that found Sam making sure he was either facing Gabriel or keeping a blanket wrapped around himself whenever they were left alone. He didn’t want the older male staring.

He just hunched over his paper and books and got his ink and wrote and tried not to feel conscious of the fact that there was some stranger silently judging him from across the room. And for nearly three days that worked pretty well. Castiel and Dean would leave during the day and Sam and Gabriel sat on other sides of the nest not talking.

Until the fourth day when Gabriel strode over to Sam and said. “You’re a bit old to be nesting with your brother and his mate, aren’t you?”

Sam had nearly spilled his ink he was so surprised. He looked up at Gabriel with wide eyes and his hand shook as he put down his brush and tried to cork the inkbottle unsteadily. He wasn’t sure what to say. It was obvious Castiel hadn’t said why Sam couldn’t leave, and while he appreciated the blue-eyed Aviant for not spilling his secret – it now presented Sam with a rather embaressing situation.

“You aren’t part of their flock. You’re just…here.” Gabriel crouched suddenly, eyes studying Sam’s face. “Theres something wrong with you and Cas won’t tell me what.” His eyes flicker to the blanket draped over Sam’s wings and shoulders.

“There isn’t anything wrong with me.” Sam says a little too fiercely. He instantly felels ashamed because he knows it’s a lie, but that doesn’t mean he likes hearing it from this person who knows nothing about him.

Its obvious Gabriel doesn’t believe him anyway, and a slight smirk twists onto his handsome face. The older Aviant reaches over and pulls the blanket away before Sam has time to react.

Sam scoots away, and ends up knocking a pile of his books to the floor, but its too late. His wings are on full display and Gabriel makes no secret of the fact that he is assessing them. His wings haven’t been groomed in over a week, something that Castiel disapproves of. But he figures he doesn’t use them enough that they need meticulous attention. Except now he wished they looked even a little bit presentable.

“I can’t fly.” Sam states quietly. “There was a fire when I was little. And my wings..”

Sam spreads his wings uneasily, urging them to stretch, even if they made him feel unbalanced and uncomfortable. Gabriel moved closer, and gently runs his hands over the Sam’s right wing, feeling the feathers and the bone beneath. He looks surprised and looks Sam in the eyes.

“How old are you, kid?”

“Sixteen.” Sam swallows thickly as he watches Gabriel’s hands. Dean has been the only person to ever touch his wings. He can’t say he dislikes it though, there is something almost reverent in the way Gabriel handles them, as if he can just tell how fragile they are.

“You don’t have any flight feathers.” Gabriel looks horrified as realization dawns and it is so much worse than Castiel’s pity or Dean’s fear. He still runs his fingers through Sam’s feathers, almost like he is trying to soothe some sort of wounded animal. “I wouldn’t want to live if I couldn’t fly.”

The older Aviant looks into Sam’s eyes at that moment and there is an unspoken question there. ‘Why are you still alive?’ Sam finally looks away, shame making his cheeks burn and he tucks his wings behind his back. The unuttered question still lingers in Sam’s mind, and its one he has asked himself many times. He knows Dean would never forgive him if he ever tried to take his own life, but he is also selfish and a coward. He knows he is a burden, but is too afraid to do anything about it. 

He watches with lowered eyes as Gabriel picks up one of the papers that had dried and reads it. He looks at Sam with something like surprise. “This is really good.” He actually sounds impressed and the topic of Sam’s wings is dropped.

It doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt, and Sam wraps the blanket around himself again, but its better. Gabriel offers to help Sam with his translation and even praises his knowledge. And even if he knows what Gabriel truly thinks of him, he is glad that there is this at least.


End file.
